Victorious Vice, page 23
I’ve already let her go once, to keep her safe while I was taking down the family business.
“I understand if you want to break it off,” I say quietly.
Then she lunges toward me. “No! I’m not leaving. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to have children after all the poison that’s been pumped into my body. But if I can, Vinnie, I want to have your children. And however they come out, they’ll be perfect and we’ll love them.”
And in that moment, the room gets a little brighter. Maybe the sun is peering out from behind a cloud, or maybe Raven is just that fucking radiant.
I crush my lips to hers in a devouring kiss.
“God, I love you,” I say against her lips.
“And I love you.”
I break away for just a moment to retrieve the ring from my desk. Then I drop to my knee in front of her, opening the black velvet box. “Be my wife, Raven. Make me the happiest man in the world.”
She holds out her left hand, a single tear streaming down her cheek. “Absolutely, Vinnie. There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
I slide the ring on her finger and kiss her again until she jerks backward.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She giggles. “It’s just my phone. It’s buzzing in my pocket because I have it on silent. I’ll ignore it.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “It could be important.”
She nods and retrieves her phone, looks at it, and her eyes go wide.
“What is it?” I ask.
She swallows. “It’s my mom in the group text. My father. He’s awake.”
The Bellamy Brothers will continue with Hawk’s story, coming soon!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you so much to my editor, Eric J. McConnell; my beta readers, Karen Aguilera, Linda Dunn, and Serena Drummond; my cover artist, Amanda Shepard of Shepard Originals; and my audio narrators, Eric J. McConnell and Kaileigh Riess.
ALSO BY HELEN HARDT
Bellamy Brothers
Savage Sin
Sweet Sin
Seductive Sin
Vengeful Vice
Volatile Vice
Victorious Vice
Follow Me Series
Follow Me Darkly
Follow Me Under
Follow Me Always
Darkly
Under
Always
My Heart Still Beats
Black Rose Series
Blush
Bloom
Blossom
Wolfes of Manhattan
Rebel
Recluse
Runaway
Rake
Reckoning
Escape
Moonstone
Raven
Garnet
Buck
Opal
Phoenix
Amethyst
Sex and the Season
Lily and the Duke
Rose in Bloom
Lady Alexandra’s Lover
Sophie’s Voice
The Perils of Patricia
Steel Legends
I am Sin
I am Salvation
Steel Brothers Saga
Craving
Obsession
Possession
Melt
Burn
Surrender
Shattered
Twisted
Unraveled
Breathless
Ravenous
Insatiable
Fate
Legacy
Descent
Awakened
Cherished
Freed
Spark
Flame
Blaze
Smolder
Flare
Scorch
Chance
Fortune
Destiny
Melody
Harmony
Encore
Blood Bond Saga
Unchained
Unhinged
Undaunted
Unmasked
Undefeated
Temptation Saga
Tempting Dusty
Teasing Annie
Taking Catie
Taming Angelina
Treasuring Amber
Trusting Sydney
Tantalizing Maria
The Billion Heirs (with Vanessa Vale)
Scarred
Flawed
Broken
Standalones
My Heart Still Beats
Blush
Bloom
Blossom
Blood Wolf
Reunited
Loving the Dragon
Misadventures with a Rock Star
Misadventures of a Good Wife (with Meredith Wild)
Non-Fiction
got style?
Cooking with Hardt & Soul
Auf Deutsch:
Wolfes of Manhattan
Rebel
Recluse
Runaway
Rake
Reckoning
En français:
La série Steel Brothers:
Attraction
Obsession
Possession
Turbulence
Effervescence
Résilience
Déflagration
Aliénation
Révélation
Les Wolfe de Manhattan
Rebelle
Reclus
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of romantic fiction, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.
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Helen Hardt, Victorious Vice
